Prevalence and factors associated with long Covid in adults from Southern Brazil

Findings from the Pampa cohort

Bibliographic Data

ID5167840
AuthorsNatan Feter (0000-0001-6295-9792, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, corresponding author), Eduardo L Caputo (0000-0002-3515-9308, Universidade Federal de Pelotas), Jayne Santos Leite (0000-0002-4612-7301, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Felipe Mendes Delpino (0000-0002-3562-3246, Universidade Federal de Pelotas), Luísa Silveira Da Silva (0000-0001-6083-3678, Universidade Federal de Pelotas), Yohana Pereira Vieira (0000-0003-4828-8210, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande), Isabel De Almeida Paz (0000-0001-5988-3344, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Juliana Quadros Santos Rocha (0000-0002-9743-6331, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande), Carine Nascimento Da Silva (0000-0001-9908-5291, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande), Natália Schröeder (0000-0002-3700-6292, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Marcelo Cozzensa Da Silva (0000-0003-2336-7131, Universidade Federal de Pelotas), Airton José Rombaldi (0000-0002-6707-814X, Universidade Federal de Pelotas)
Year2023
Volume39
Issue12
Pagese00098023-e00098023
Publication date2023-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCadernos de Saude Publica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0102-311X • E-ISSN: 1678-4464
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/0102-311xen098023
PMID38088735
OpenAlexW4389565434
SCIELO_PIDS0102-311X2023001205004
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited36

Most COVID-19 survivors have reported experiencing persistent symptoms after the infection - these types of cases are known as long COVID. Since Brazil was an epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, a high burden of long COVID is expected. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with long COVID in adults in Southern Brazil, analyzing data from the PAMPA cohort. Participants filled out a self-reported online questionnaire in June 2022. This study only included subjects who tested positive for COVID-19. Long COVID was defined by any symptoms that persisted for at least three months after the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Poisson's regression models with robust variance were used to identify factors associated with long COVID; and results were reported as prevalence ratios (PR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). A total of 1,001 participants (77.4% women, mean age [SD] = 38.3 [11.9] years) were analyzed. The prevalence of long COVID among these patients was 77.4% (95%CI: 74.7; 79.9). The likelihood of long COVID was higher in unvaccinated participants (PR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.06; 1.42), in those with chronic conditions (PR = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.04; 1.24), and in those who were hospitalized due to the COVID-19 infection (PR = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.16; 1.32). This prevalence was also higher in women (PR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.09; 1.33) than in men. Physical activity was associated with a reduced likelihood of fatigue, neurological complications, coughing, and headaches as persistent symptoms after a COVID-19 infection. It was found that three out of four adults in Southern Brazil experienced long COVID. Public policies aiming to reduce the burden of long COVID must be prioritized, especially in groups that are at higher risk of developing this harmful condition

Cohort · Cohort study · Confidence interval · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Environmental health · Pandemic · Poisson regression · Population · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Demography · Epidemiology · Internal Medicine · Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 · Medicine · Mosquito-borne diseases and control

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